"Reflection" by Vadim Panov, summary

Vadim Panov’s mystical urban fantasy novel "Reflection" was created in 2017. The narrative centers on the existence of a shadowy underbelly of the daytime world — a Reflection — where human fears, hidden desires, and mystical rituals are embodied. The story is divided into six interwoven short stories, each titled after a line from a song by a famous rock band. This novel is the first in the "Reflections" series, which was continued in 2018 by the novel "Distortion."

Revenge for the White Princess

Pavel Arkadyevich Lavrich, an officer in the Principal’s Retinue, performs a dark rejuvenation ritual by consuming human flesh and washing it down with red wine. On the Great Full Moon, a young man named Sergei sacrifices his own blood and life in a Mokovian courtyard well. Two months ago, bandits severely injured Sergei on a playground and cut out the heart of his fifteen-year-old fiancée, Olga. Olga’s cousin, the sorceress Elena, nicknamed Porcha, creates a double of Sergei, Amon, from his blood.

Amon travels through Moscow at night in a yellow taxi to find the killer. He visits Olga’s grave at Preobrazhenskoye Cemetery, speaks with the Master of Sorrowful Affairs, and comes across a Fencer who sells dark deeds. From the Fencer and Corruption, Amon learns the name of the criminal: the sword-bearing clerk Lavrich, nicknamed the Heartbreaker.

On a highway near Moscow, the Heartbreaker and his henchmen set a trap for a family with a child, intending to extract a fresh heart. Amon eliminates the bandits, neutralizes Lavrich’s magic with his own blood, and strangles the sorcerer with an amulet containing soil from Olga’s grave. Having performed the rite of vengeance, Amon regains his freedom in the Reflection, while the dead Sergei remains lying on the asphalt of the courtyard.

The Secret of the Locked Mansion

In an ancient mansion, a young man with no memory of his past awakens, calling himself Kirill. The building’s "Cocoon" defense system has been activated, triggered by the explosion of a silver cage in the basement and the escape of an Ancient One named Shab. Due to the magic’s influence, the mansion’s servants are transformed into black jackals.

Young men Vitaly and Masha also break into the same building. Masha falls through the rotten tower beams into a deep underground Rituals Room. Kirill finds a basement garage with a rare Horch 951 Pullman, takes a powerful 12-caliber revolver with silver bullets, and receives advice from the talking head of the murdered driver.

Kirill deals with the mutated servants and descends into the Chamber of Rituals, where Ancient Elizabeth, in the form of a horned monster, battles Shab, who has taken over the body of her husband, Howard. Kirill kills Shab with a precise shot to the heart, and the resulting magical storm destroys Elizabeth. Vitaly rescues Masha and retrieves an ancient tome from the underground altar — the "Book of Life," bound in human skin.

The Ghost Flight and a Special Picture

Artist Genrikh Berger creates "special paintings" that allow his clients to physically immerse themselves in a dream come true. Clerk Lavrich commissioned Berger to create a canvas featuring a coastal castle and an idealized lover. To create the image, Berger chose student Galya, who regularly commutes to work on the Early Bus — a ghostly LiAZ-677 driven by Valera, the driver who died thirty years ago.

The ghostly flight’s regular passengers are the witch Antonina, the hereditary executioner Baradyer, and the bookseller Vissarion Obuza. Berger lures Galya into his studio and begins painting her portrait with hot, magical paints that drain the girl’s life force. Meanwhile, the "Book of Life," found in the ruins, is brought to Vissarion’s shop.

Vissarion realizes Galya is in danger of dying and hires Baradyer to rescue her, promising an ancient tome in exchange. Baradyer splits into four combat doubles and storms Berger’s villa. The mercenaries kill the artist, and Vissarion pulls the exhausted Galya from the painting. Lavrich arrives, takes the girl for treatment, and presents Vissarion with the masterpiece "Sleeping Snowdrops."

The fight for the necromancer’s throne

In St. Petersburg, werewolves kill the necromancer Alexander. Before his death, the mage unleashes his spirit — Black Dog — which drowns one of his attackers in the Neva and breaks the neck of the pack leader. The queen of St. Petersburg’s necromancers, Julia Alexander, remains the deceased’s widow, surrounded by her dead servants.

Askold, the son of the deceased magician, returns from Kamil’s mountain monastery, accompanied by Corruption. Askold negotiates with Viktor Tagar, the leader of the werewolves’ leaders, to overthrow his stepmother in exchange for the lands of Kronstadt and Vasilievsky Island. To eliminate Yulia, Askold uses a hypnotic mandala, subjugating the will of Masha, a girl who has arrived from Moscow.

Under hypnosis, Masha leads Yulia to the ambush site on the outskirts of the city. A fight ensues, resulting in the deaths of Askold and the werewolves. It is revealed that Aridor’s murder two years ago was orchestrated by his servant, Roman Romero, seeking revenge for past torture. Yulia incinerates Roman with a death spell.

After the duel, Yulia discovers that the soul of a new Ancient One is being born within Masha. The Queen of Necromancers bows before the girl and hands her the Black Dog, created from the body of the deceased Askold, as her protector.

The Neutrino Project and the Lunar Launch

Nikolai Tavrin buys a garage in a cooperative building outside the Ring Road. A plump, red-haired man named Yermolai Pokryshkin, nicknamed "Mashina," works there as a security guard. Yermolai upgrades cheap video cameras using a mathematical algorithm, helping to catch a thief.

Tavrin begins questioning Yermolai and learns about the classified Soviet-American Neutrino Project of the 1970s. Pokryshkin is the last surviving engineer in the secret program, which trained a crew to destroy the Cursed Star — the source of the dark energy Sha. Nikolai’s attempt to find information through acquaintances attracts the attention of the FSB and Officer Barader.

Baradyer arrives at the garages, intending to eliminate the Machine. Yermolai repels the attack with combat drones, a converted all-terrain vehicle, and a tractor. In the final battle, the Machine’s drone destroys Baradyer.

A courier arrives from Avadonna, the head of the MystiPlex company, and hands the Machine the Launch Key to a space cruiser moored on the far side of the Moon. In exchange, Pokryshkin gives the neurochip containing the Artificial Intelligence. Pokryshkin and Tavrin turn the key, sending the Neutrino ship on its interstellar voyage.

Hunt for the Night Executioner

In Moscow, the serial killer Dagen, nicknamed the Spanish Shoemaker, broadcasts the torture and murder of women online, collecting user ratings. He regularly calls into the nightly program "First Midnight," hosted by Kirill Amon, and requests the tango "Black Cuttlefish." Police Captain Sergei Lvov is trying to identify the perpetrator.

Kirill meets Masha outside the radio station and allows her to stay in his apartment. The maniac Dagen and producer Iola kidnap Masha to stage a bloody show live on the shore of Tsaritsyn Pond. Dagen openly announces this during a daytime radio broadcast.

Kirill retrieves his revolver, the "12," and with Avadonna’s assistance, finds the execution site. On the shore of a pond, Amon duels Dagen, who has assumed the form of a horned, six-armed monster.

The police arrive, illuminating the area from helicopters. Kirill drags the maniac into the water, destroys the monster at the bottom of the pond, and carries Masha out in his arms. Having destroyed the broadcast camera, Amon returns to normal life, recognizing his true nature and his willingness to always act in accordance with his true nature.